Tunisian President pressures US over Gaza crisis

Tunisian President Kais Saied confronted senior US Africa adviser Massad Boulos with harrowing images of starving children in Gaza during a meeting captured on official video, as reported by The New Arab plus agencies on July 23rd.

The footage, released by Tunisian authorities, showed Saied handing Boulos several photographs, including one of what he described as “a child crying, eating sand in occupied Palestine.”

“These are crimes against the Palestinian people,” Saied said. “It is time for all of humanity to wake up and put an end.”

Boulos, the father-in-law of Donald Trump’s daughter Tiffany, remained mostly silent while Saied laid out his case, occasionally nodding in response. Saied added: “It is absolutely unacceptable… It is a crime against all of humanity.”

The Tunisian president used the moment to spotlight what he called a collective moral failure. He accused the international community of turning a blind eye to the devastation endured by Palestinians under Israeli bombardment and blockade. This follows events in Tunis as protestors encircled the US embassy for complicity with Israeli actions.

Pressure continues to mount on Israel over the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where over two million residents face desperate conditions after nearly two years of war.

More than 100 aid organisations issued a statement warning of “mass starvation” across the territory. They reported that even their own teams suffer from critical shortages. The head of Gaza’s largest hospital confirmed that 21 children had died from hunger and malnutrition in the last three days alone.

Although, while Saied has assumed a position of moral leadership, the Tunisian president is consistently condemned by rights groups for his government’s policies and treatment of the Tunisian population.

Israel insists it permits humanitarian aid into Gaza and blames Hamas for exploiting civilian suffering. Officials claim militants divert food aid for profit or fire on civilians waiting in queues.

After the meeting in Tunis, Boulos travelled to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, according to Tunisian media.

The New Arab plus agencies, Maghrebi.org, France 24